Link's pov
Even though Zelda doesn't speak or understand much Japanese at all, she's been asking my uncle about the pottery in his living room and where it's from. She's trying to explain that she's really interested in archeology but I don't think he understands a single word in English.
When I translate bits and pieces for them, he tells us that the pottery stems from the Jōmon Period and I try my best not to sound bored as I translate it back to Zelda.
When her eyes land on the samurai sword that's displayed on a little pedestal in the living room, she points at it and tries to use her Japanese skills to ask a question.
"Are wa nan desu ka?" she asks in perfect grammar. What is that over there?
Finally an object that doesn't put me to sleep. My uncle picks it up for her without hesitation and lets us admire the golden pattern on the sheath.
Dad has joined the room and crosses his arms with a grin. "It belonged to our father," he says to me, looking at my uncle. "Your grandfather." His eyes switch to Zelda, and in English he tells her, "Link dance with sword when he was..." dad stops to think of the words. "Kodomo," he mumbles in Japanese, "Eto..." I watch him struggle until, "A child!" he remembers the word.
His English is getting better but I still feel the need to clear things up. "During middle school and highschool, I used to perform a set of sword skills called kata at local festivals to showcase the techniques and skills used by samurai warriors in combat."
Zelda's eyes light up and she begs me to show her some tricks. I doubt that I'm still as good as I used to be. After all, I haven't picked up a sword in many years. But when someone presents a sword and requests a show, I'm the last person to decline.
I take a few steps away from them to give myself enough space. Wouldn't want to accidentally decapitate someone.
I bow to my little audience of three, then I take a deep breath to concentrate and become one with the blade. I grip the hilt of the samurai sword tightly, feeling its weight and balance in my hand as I draw it from its sheath. With a swift motion, I roll the sword over my wrist, making it gleam in the sunlight as it swings around my hand, drawing a perfect circle. Zelda gasps, motivating me to unpack some tricks I practiced when I was seventeen.
Each movement is deliberate and calculated. The sound of the blade slicing through the air takes me back to my childhood. How I discovered fencing and fell in love with the perfection of swordsmanship.
I show them a series of fluid strikes and parries, mainly to impress Zelda. The sword becomes an extension of my body. I can feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins, my heart full of excitement.
Having talked to Zelda and Ruto about my passion for sports, I do wonder if I ever hated fencing or if I just stopped because I didn't have the time anymore. Even though I was a champion, it was more for fun, and after everything that happened with my career, I notice the difference between doing something with passion or out of duty.
With a final swoosh, I sheath the sword with a metallic cling. Zelda looks speechless and claps for me. Dad's just smiling at me and Oji-san tells me that my technique is sloppy. I could argue with him and tell him I haven't practiced in years, but I keep quiet, bow to them, and put the sword back where it belongs.
"Where did you learn that?" Zelda asks me.
"Well, I was a fencing champion for some time," I shrug. "You actually need a different set of skills for fencing and the weight of the swords are way different from this one, but my point is, I like swords."
"Comforting," she smiles sarcastically.
I want to go to the shrine with Zelda and show her more about my culture but before I'm allowed to take her anywhere, dad makes me do a chore. He says I can choose the chore myself as long as it helps my uncle in some way. So which chore do I end up choosing? Laundry. Because it's easy and, more importantly, fast.
...
I hang the laundry up to dry while Zelda helps my uncle with the zen garden even though nobody asked her to do any chores. I look at her to see how far she's gotten with the garden chores. She seems to enjoy it and by the looks of it, she's almost done with it too.
"Oy!" Dad shouts, approaching from behind me. I look over my shoulder to see what's up. "Why are you doing laundry?" he asks in a harsh tone.
"Because the clothes were dirty?" I explain confused.
"It's going to rain later. They won't dry.
"What? It's sunny right now," I say, pointing at the blue sky over our heads.
"Part of this chore is to fold the dry laundry and bring it back inside."
"Okay? I plan on doing that later when we're back from the shrine," I say.
"It will start raining and you won't be here to put the laundry away."
"There's not a single cloud in the sky," I tell him, still pointing at the sky like a crazy person.
Dad just gives me that look–that 'I don't care what you say because I'm the adult' look. I could pull up the weather app and show him the forecast and he'd still think he's in the right. I swear, just because you're older doesn't make you a weather god. Stubbornness is a total dad thing. When I'm a dad, I'll be more laid back than him.
"So what do you want me to do?" I ask him.
"I want you to use your head, boy," he says, gripping my head with his whole hand to mess up my hair. I hear Zelda giggling from the other side of the garden and when I push dad's hand away from me, she's already walking over to join us.
"Hey, are you finished with your task?" She asks me excited.
I give dad a look and wait for his approval.
"Be careful, okay? No nonsense out there," he tells me. "Take good care of her."
"I will," I nod. "Always."
"And when it starts raining later–" he starts but I roll my eyes at him and cut in.
"If," I correct him, "If it really does start to rain later today, I will stay up all night and personally dry each piece of clothing with a sensu fan," I say.
Dad laughs and gives me a pat on the back. "Just make sure you don't get caught in the rain yourself."
Zelda and I head out on horseback. I lead her up the mountain and into the forest. I know that there is an onsen on the way to the shrine, so we go there first. Still not sure if Zelda was serious about visiting an onsen with me.
She's pretty quiet on our way to the onsen, and when we arrive, I start to question if she's doing okay.
"Everything good with you?" I ask her as we secure the horses.
"I thought we were going to visit the onsen at night," she says, staring at the wooden building.
"It's prettier during the day. They have an outdoor onsen, so you'll be able to see the nature around. I thought you'd like that. I also wanted to save the shrine for last because the lanterns make it look pretty at night."
She gives me a nod and follows me inside without another word. I pay the fee for us and tell her where she's going to change and shower and that she can't bring any personal items with her to the bathing area.
We separate to get changed in our designated areas. My stuff stays in a little basket, then I shower to cleanse my body and wrap a towel around my waist when I'm done.
When I head to the bathing area, I'm surprised that there's nobody else in the water. It's a small town and this onsen is sort of isolated, so it's not that surprising after all. What surprises me more is that Zelda's already standing near the water waiting for me. Up until now I wasn't sure if she was going to go through with this.
She's only in a towel. I try not to think about the fact that that's all she's wearing right now. Instead, I focus on the warm steam rising from the water. It's supposed to soothe my muscles and make me relax, and the sound of running water should be setting a peaceful mood, but somehow I don't feel at ease at all.
I kinda just feel nervous and I don't understand why. I've done this a million times. Never with a girl, but... Shit, she's walking towards me and I don't know what to do or say right now.
"It's really beautiful here," she says with a smile.
Before I can stop myself, I look her up and down. Just for a split second. I hope she didn't notice.
"Shall we?" I ask.
"Sure," she grins. "How does it work?"
"We just... sit," I say. "We sit and relax. That's the whole point."
"Oh, okay."
"What?" I ask. "You don't seem so excited anymore."
"Are we going to sit in the same area?"
"There's only one area for this onsen. There are some that separate genders but this is a traditional onsen in a really old town where it's normal for men and women to share the space."
"Ah," is all she says.
"We don't have to do this."
"No, that's... that's fine," she shrugs and nods and then I start to shrug and nod but neither of us moves. This is getting a bit awkward.
"Okay," I nod one more time, cringing at myself. Before this gets any more uncomfortable, I reach for the edge of my towel to remove it like it's the most normal thing for me to strip in front of a girl. Once the towel is off, her eyes are suddenly glued to mine as if she's trying really hard not to look anywhere else.
I wait for her to remove the towel but she's hesitant. And now I'm just frozen in front of her like one of those mannequins in a store that hasn't been given an outfit yet.
"Are you gonna..." I gesture at her towel.
"Don't look," she says in a small voice and holds her breath.
"Okay, I won't."
I turn around to give her some privacy. And to give myself some privacy too.
I don't want her to feel rushed, and in case it takes her some time to jump over her shadow, I ease myself into the water without her. The water is actually really nice and does have a relaxing effect on me.
It doesn't take long until the water ripples next to me. I watch from the corner of my eye as Zelda takes a seat by my side. Then I hear her let out the breath she's been holding.
"It's nice, right?" I start some small talk.
"Very." She sounds so shy.
I don't know if I'm allowed to look now and I don't want to creep her out by asking, so I just keep my eyes on my own legs and stomach. I should start working out again. It's been months since I've hit the gym. Even if I quit sports, I shouldn't let myself go. I miss my abs.
We're silent for a few minutes. Even though I'm neither looking at Zelda nor touching her, I feel oddly connected with her right now. It's sorta intimate but in the most innocent way.
"You know, I've never done this with a girl," I break the silence.
"Really?"
"I'm glad I can experience this with you."
I don't have to look at her to know that she's smiling right now.
"Me too," she says, then she starts to giggle.
"What?" I ask, almost turning my head out of instinct.
"Nothing," she continues to laugh. Why's she laughing? "It's just cute."
"What is?"
"You."
I look between my legs. "What do you mean by cute?"
"It's sweet that you haven't looked at me," she giggles.
"You told me not to."
"I know, and I'm glad you respected that."
"I'd be kind of an asshole if I didn't."
Going to an onsen is a chance to heal, relax, and cleanse your spirit. Not to act out perverted fantasies. I don't have to see her naked to be happy, but I do miss seeing her face. When she giggled, I really just wanted to see her smile. But I made a promise, so yeah... Gotta keep my eyes on myself. I wonder if she has looked at me at all or if she's looking at the trees and rocks around us.
"Thanks, by the way," she says, sounding genuinely happy. "For not looking."
I nod and chew a little on my cheek. "Have you?" I ask.
"Have I what?"
"Looked?"
"At you? No."
I nod again. "You can... If you want."
She gets really quiet for a second. She clearly didn't expect me to say that. And I bet she's making a pros and cons list in her head right now to decide if she should or shouldn't take a look. I think her head moved slightly–and I'm pretty sure she's now staring at me in the most subtle way.
She doesn't say anything, but she scoots a little closer, wraps her arms around my biceps, and gives me a peck on the cheek. She's squeezing her whole body against my arm. And I do my best not to move.
She's teasing me and making it impossible not to look at her. Even when I try to keep my eyes on my own legs and focus on the scars on my knees, she's sitting so close to me that I can see her legs right next to mine in the water and–goddam–I can't stop my eyes from moving up her body–all the way till I reach her belly button. I quickly force myself to look at the sky and start counting the clouds to distract myself.
One.
Two.
Two and half.
This isn't doing anything for me.
"If I close my eyes, can I kiss you?" I ask Zelda, sounding a little too desperate.
"Is that okay at a place like this?" she asks.
"Sure," I say. "I'm not asking for a makeout session, just a kiss. And besides... I don't see anyone who'd mind."
"In that case... I suppose you may kiss me," she says. "But you don't have to close your eyes."
"Are... you sure? I can look at you?"
"I've thought it over at least a million times, and without boring you with the long list of pros and cons–" I knew it, "–there is really no reason not to."
"Unless you don't want me to."
"The thing is... I think I do want you to."
I try not to seem too excited, but I don't hesitate for long. I turn my head slowly to look at her. Her shoulders are tense, her cheeks pink, and her eyes wide. And that's all I look at for now. I think staring at her body would make her uncomfortable and to be honest, I really just wanted to see her eyes and her smile.
After our kiss, her eyes don't stay on my face. She looks down and stares for a second. And somehow that makes me laugh out loud.
"My eyes are up here," I tease her.
"Sorry!" she looks back up, shoulders tenser than ever before. "I didn't mean to!"
She apologizes at least a million times more and I can't help but laugh at her reaction.
"It's fine," I try to calm her. I really didn't mind for some reason.
"It's just–I've never..."
I wait for her to finish that sentence but she doesn't. She thinks I can read her mind. Well, I can't, so I ask, "You've never what?"
"Seen it."
"Yeah no shit."
"I meant in general. On any guy."
"Oh what? Seriously?"
"Not outside of anatomy class." She presses her lips together and stays silent. That's a bit surprising but I don't show a reaction.
"That's cool," I say. "Happy to be the first."
I get a little chuckle out of her. The mood lightens up a bit and her shoulders finally relax. I don't know what exactly is going on in her head but she doesn't seem to have a horrible time. I think she's okay with this. With us. Maybe she's even enjoying it a little.
We stay much longer than I planned to. We talk about school, then we drift off and discuss random things like weird superpowers (what if anything you touched turned into liquid?) and alternative endings to some of the movies we've seen (what if Simba told the other animals to move to the jungle instead of fighting Scar?).
Once it's time to leave, Zelda doesn't ask me to turn around or look away as she gets out of the water. I don't force myself to look away. She still acts a little shy but she doesn't seem to mind it anymore.
We change back into our clothes, definitely feeling more relaxed than two hours ago, and then we head back to our horses to continue to the shrine. I haven't been to this shrine since I was a kid and don't fully remember how to get there. I can feel it's close though. I know we found it when we reach the red torii gate.
"When passing through a torii gate, it is customary to leave horses outside the gate," I explain. "The torii gate marks the boundary between the sacred and the profane, and it is considered respectful to honor this division."
It was a good idea to go to the onsen first; I feel cleansed from all the bad that I've been carrying for two years now. I can enter this realm without worrying about any shadows of evil clinging to me.
We leave the horses near the entrance gate and bow before we cross it. The path leading to the shrine is lined with stone lanterns. The sun has barely set and the sky's not fully dark yet, but somebody has already lit each lantern with a blue flame. It looks surreal. It sure has Zelda speechless.
I lead her uphill through the forest until we reach the shrine. Over the years, it has weathered but it's still resilient. A little like me, if you think about it.
The shrine is in the center of a little pond area, which is reflecting the moonlight. The wooden structure has carvings and colorful ornaments all around it, which makes me look at Zelda to see her reaction. Usually she's the first to comment on little things like ornaments and moonlight reflections, but she hasn't said a word.
When we enter the shrine, I find out that we're not alone. An old monk is offering his prayers in a seated position. When he notices us, he finishes his prayer and slowly gets up.
"May the goddess smile upon you," he says, passing us.
I give him a respectful bow and watch as he leaves the shrine. Then I focus on Zelda, who looks deep into thought. It's hard to read her emotions right now. Earlier she seemed relaxed but now she looks kind of stiff again.
"What do you think?" I ask her.
"I don't know," she whispers. "Surprisingly, I'm not really thinking anything right now."
That's unusual for her but it doesn't have to be a bad thing.
"That means you're in the moment and allowing yourself to focus on your emotions," I say. "During meditations, I force my mind to take a break and focus on my body and my emotions. That way I can let go of anything negative and concentrate on the good things."
Another thing I have to get back into; meditations.
"I feel strange," Zelda whispers, touching her heart.
"Why? What do you feel?"
"I..." her hand reaches up to her necklace. "It's as if Mother's presence is here...."
Like a ghost? A shiver runs down my spine.
"Do you mind if I say a prayer?" She asks nervously.
This is the place to pray. I step out of the shrine to give her some privacy.
With my back turned to her, I silently listen to her prayer. She starts off by speaking of her mother, her grandmother, and the legacy of their belief in her powers and strength. Then she pauses and starts to sound discouraged and... sad.
"Since Mother's passing, I have shouldered that belief alone. And over time, the voices that once buoyed her spirit have faded away."
The chirping of crickets and frogs fill in the silence when she lets out a sigh.
"Now I don't hear or... feel anything," she whispers, her voice shaking.
She mentions her father next... How strict and distant he was after her mom passed.
"He always said 'Quit wasting your time'. But I've spent every day of my life dedicated to praying, studying, and pleasing everyone else. I've pleaded to the spirits tied to the ancient gods. And still... they seem deaf to my devotion. Father has come to accept my pursuits, but what have I really achieved since then? I struggle to make progress. I feel trapped in a cycle, spinning in circles without moving forward."
I feel sad for her, and I'm even more disappointed in myself for not noticing how much she was still affected by her father's pressure. I'm starting to think that when she said we should be more open with each other, she was talking more about herself than me. I guess she's had just as much stuff bottled up as me. But unlike me, she didn't have anyone to talk to...
I peek at her through the corner of my eye. She's so vulnerable right now and I don't know how to help her.
"My relationships have suffered due to my vile behavior, and my personal growth feels stagnant. I don't know how to break free from this cycle of repeated mistakes that hurt those I care for the most," she says.
Part of me wants to interrupt her prayer, to tell her that she is wrong. But I remain steadfast. This is her way of letting go. So I gotta hold back my emotions so she can pour her heart out just like I did a few weeks ago.
"I aspire to soar academically, to carve a path that fills my parents' hearts with pride, and to be a genuinely good friend to those I hold dear. My greatest desire is to navigate life's intricate choices, giving happiness and fulfillment to Link."
Me? I tilt my head to get a better look at her.
"Amidst a world where others stride forward I find myself stumbling on the journey. Impa, Pik, Mipha, Revali, and even Father... I've seen their tremendous growth over the past year, and I..." she sighs as if she's disgusted with herself. "The weight of the past anchors me, obscuring the vision of a brighter future. In my unwavering commitment to bolster Link's triumphs, I inadvertently overlooked nurturing my own growth. However..."
She pauses for a few seconds to find the right words.
"Even in the face of my own failures and flaws, I'm not here to beg for personal salvation. I know that's a journey I must navigate alone. Instead, I stand before the divine with heartfelt prayers for the ones I hold dear. Please keep a watchful eye on Father, who often struggles to connect with his own emotions. Help him find the path to self-discovery and inner peace. Please shower Impa with the love and affection that I couldn't give her myself. Give Revali and Mipha, two remarkable souls, the happy ending they so rightfully deserve. And as for Link..."
Paying extra attention, I straighten my posture... I don't think she knows I am listening.
"Whether his dream is to be a renowned athlete or to follow a different path entirely, grant him the power to chase his ambitions, or, if he decides to take a leap of faith into uncharted territory, bless him with the courage to embrace the unknown and shape his own destiny."
I clench my fists and hold back all my emotions. She really does love me for who I am in my core.
"I wish to guide my friends and family, to support them in ways I wasn't able to before," she says determined. "But in order to do that, I need to understand... Why do I seem destined to fail? Am I corrupted by malice? Would their lives be better without me?"
I'm annoyed by how selfless she can be sometimes. Everything positive she said about her friends and family wouldn't be the case if she hadn't impacted their lives. Her father, Impa, Mipha, Revali, and even myself—we have all grown because of her.
"Please just tell me..." her voice breaks. "What is it? What's wrong with me!"